Ballot papers are due to to be mailed out to electors beginning 9 September.

The last two weeks have seen 3 meetings organised by people calling themselves ‘It’s in the Ballot’ who we think are aligned with the Leftist quango Local Government NZ and many of their questions have had a Leftist loading. They have been poorly attended.

Next week, however, meetings organised by Grey Power and Rotary begin, and the following week by KCDC and Concerned Ratepayers Kapiti.

Co-editor Eva is seen dressed for ‘Global boiling’, but from tomorrow it is officially Spring. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s all that warmer, but the sheepskin lined bomber jacket may not be needed.

Genuinely surprised Zelensky actually went through with it, letting under-22 Ukrainian men leave

It's happening en masse right now. A decision totally at odds with Ukraine's stance for the last 3.5 years

Most have no intention of returning, unless deported by force pic.twitter.com/T08jhqkj3Q

— Russians With Attitude (@RWApodcast) August 29, 2025

QLD Senator Matt Canavan has a message for New Zealand PM Chris Luxon-

Net Zero is a massive socialist plan that isn’t working and will never work!

State branches of the Liberal National opposition in Queensland, West Australia and South Australia have now all passed… pic.twitter.com/NyX4km0sD8

— The Redbaiter (@TheRedbaiter) August 27, 2025

This goes through some of England’s prettiest scenery and the undulating hilly countryside of the Settle to Carlisle section over the Pennines is a very popular excursion trip.

Lefties Lisa Wilkinson and her husband Peter FitzSimons are being slammed’ after listing their expansive family home in Sydney’s Lower North Shore for a shock $23 million. 

The former Today host, 65, and rugby union player, 64, placed a ‘for sale’ sticker on their 122-year-old home in the suburb of Cremorne this month.

Wilkinson and FitzSimons purchased the six-bedroom, landmark red brick Edwardian property, called Ingleneuk, in 1998 for $2.95 million, and raised their three children in the home where they have resided for 30 years.

Trolls online have slammed the pair over the move, taking aim at the imbalance between their asking price, which is 23 times higher than the national median house price, and left-leaning political stance.

Read the rest

Executions Surge Sharply in Iran

At least 841 people have been executed since the beginning of the year, according to the UN Human Rights Office. For comparison, there were 975 executions in all of 2024.

In July alone, 110 people were executed — twice as many as the previous… pic.twitter.com/NrWzFHUdRz

— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 30, 2025

Which nature lovers should like: 19th-century chimeric taps — part swan, part dolphin, part bat — at Villa Karylos, France.

from Concerned Ratepayers Kapiti

There are practical ways for the KCDC to trim operating spend without affecting core, safety or regulatory services.

What services are negotiable

– Scale back promo and nice‑to‑have projects: destination marketing, event sponsorships, and business “clusters” are policy‑choice spends that can be reduced or commissioned smarter from outside, with clearer expectations for the Economic Development Kotahitanga Board (EDKB) and any new Trust model.

– Tighten grant pools: grants spending sits around the low millions each year; shrink non‑core clusters (e.g., climate action extras, arts/heritage add‑ons, event grants, small waste grants) lowers spend while keeping essentials.

– Tune programs in libraries, pools, parks: prioritise essentials and value for money in programming and amenity upgrades; focus on what delivers measurable outcomes.

– Pace climate engagement/administration layers: keep legal duties and resilience work, but slow think‑tanks, campaigns, and extra grant rounds so effort matches evidence and capacity.

– Hit pause on non‑safety transport “nice‑to‑haves”: with less national co‑funding, focus on maintenance and safety first, and defer local amenity upgrades/minor improvements.

Staffing is a choice, too

– Personnel costs are large; every 1% reduction in operating headcount can save hundreds of thousands of dollars if paired with process redesign and automation.

– The move to a modern cloud platform enables self‑service forms and workflow automation (rates, service requests, grants, permits), helping deliver more with fewer staff.

How to make it stick

– Commission, pause, or prove: only fund non‑core spend that proves its value; publish a two‑year “pause list” and protect statutory service levels; set clear performance and co‑funding expectations for EDKB and related delivery vehicles.

– Stop doing too much at once: sequence optional policy and engagement so fewer projects run in parallel — less overheads, less consultant churn, more delivery.

Bottom line

– Big rates rises aren’t a force of nature; they happen because of budget design choices. Change the design, reduce operating costs, and protect the services that matter.

Look for the candidates who understand how to design success rather than carry on with the same callous record. Taking ever more money off hard‑working Ratepayers is not sustainable.